Need printer advice: Epson? Cannon? HP?

I'm looking to replace my Epson Stylus Photo 2000P which I use to create archival prints (on Legion's Somerset Photo Enhanced paper) for gallery sales. I'll need a printer which can handle standard sheet sizes as well as roll paper (13" width is ideal). The 2000P has been running on an old G3 running OS 9.2, which I've kept because the printer is incompatible with my newer G5 running 10.3.9. I've researched the Epson R1800 and looked at the Canon i9950/i9900. Even though the problems I experienced with paper loading, black ink splotches, and clogged ink heads in the 2000P led me to swear I'd never buy another Epson, I'm open to any suggestions. Cost is less a concern than reliability and quality. Thanks.

Personally I would go for canon over epson any day of the week. Now I havent used the i9950 but it was originally the printer I intended to buy for my a3 prints (went with the ix4000 in the end, it was cheaper and used the same inks as my ip5200 so I knew the quality was going to be good)

I know that there are some other ix models coming out which may be worth considering too.

Canon have replaced the i9950/i9900 with the Pro9000, and the Pro9500 is coming next year.

I really like my i9900, even after 2 years but there is one drawback: poor black and white prints. I don't do them so it's not a problem for me--the colour is amazing.

The Pro9500 will have photo (gloss?) black, matte black, and gray inks to combat the issue.

Canon don't mention that any of them will take roll paper that I've seen but it wasn't an issue for me, so I might have missed it.

One thing I've noticed is that, in the same time frame, my Epson all-in-one seems to clog terribly and is now pretty much inoperable but my Canon i9900 keeps going. It also has a user-replaceable print head.

Personally I would go for canon over epson any day of the week. Now I havent used the i9950 but it was originally the printer I intended to buy for my a3 prints (went with the ix4000 in the end, it was cheaper and used the same inks as my ip5200 so I knew the quality was going to be good)

I know that there are some other ix models coming out which may be worth considering too.

Click to expand...

Sorry to veer off the thread a tad. I have just ordered myself the Canon iX4000, how have you found it?

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.